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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 000260 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EUR/SE, EUR/PD, NEA/PD, DRL 
JCS PASS J-5/CDR S. WRIGHT 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR TU
SUBJECT: ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT 
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2007 
 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
Gul Continues Talks in the US 
All papers report in his meeting with Vice President Dick Cheney, 
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul raised the topics of Armenian genocide 
claims and the fight against the PKK.  Sabah reports that using a 
map, Gul showed Cheney Turkey's key location on  energy and security 
corridors, warning the VP that losing Turkey would be very costly 
for the US.  Turkey wanted concrete moves against the PKK "in the 
coming days," Gul said, asking that the referendum planned in Kirkuk 
be postponed. 
 
Papers report Gul and Rice held a 30-minute meeting before the 
Turkish and the US delegations came together at a working lunch. 
Rice stressed at the lunch that the US administration had been 
"mobilized" to block the Armenian genocide bill at the US Congress. 
The US is aware of the significance of the PKK question, Rice said, 
urging Turkey to be patient.  Cumhuriyet reports Gul as saying, "I 
could see that Americans were really embarrassed regarding the PKK 
issue.  I saw a very serious attitude on the US side, soon there 
will be productive developments which will meet our expectations." 
 
 
Papers say the leading Jewish groups Gul met with Monday were 
discomfited with Turkey criticizing Israel.  Gul asserted that 
Turkey aimed to broker peace in the Middle East through talks such 
as the ones with Hamas.  He added Turkey has narrowed ties with 
Hamas.  The Jewish representatives promised Gul to do all to block 
the Armenian genocide bill, according to papers. 
 
Several papers report US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi denied Gul an 
appointment, saying she was too busy this week, but showed up in a 
women's meeting in the hotel where Gul stays.  Papers say Pelosi 
evading Gul was "a scandal." 
 
Dink Murder Investigation, 'Deep State' Debates 
Hurriyet, Milliyt, Sabah, Radikal, Cumhuriyet, Zaman, Yeni Safak 
and others report Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu has approved a 
request of his ministry inspectors probing the Hrant Dink 
assassination for initiating investigation against Istanbul police 
chief Celalettin Cerrah.  Former Trabzon police chief Ramazan 
Akyurek, currently police intelligence chief, was also interrogated 
by inspectors.  Milliyet and Radikal say although both the police 
and gendarme were aware of Yasin Hayal's plans to kill Hrant Dink, 
the Armenian writer was not warned.  Cumhuriyet believes the Dink 
assassination was conducted by "professionals." 
 
Prime Minister Erdogan said his government will not tolerate those 
violating laws "to protect national interests."  Erdogan, speaking 
at an AK Party gathering  said that "negative nationalism" is the 
most harmful thing to the country, the "greatest crime" that people 
can commit against the state.  On the controversial issue of the 
"deep state," the PM said, "We can describe it as gangs inside a 
state organization." 
 
Opposition CHP leader Deniz Baykal said Erdogan had the top 
responsibility in the Dink killing, calling on him to "keep his 
hands out" the security cadres and resign.  The far-right 
Nationalist Action Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli said Erdogan 
was "pathologic," and that he spoke the same language as the PKK's 
imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan.  ANAP leader Erkan Mumcu accused 
Erdogan of "paving the path" to a division among state institutions, 
and of using religion as a political tool. 
 
Meanwhile, even after his death, a lawsuit that had been filed 
against Dink based on Article 301 continues.  On Tuesday, Dink's 
trial was put off to June because his death has not been reported to 
the court yet, papers report. 
 
On reform of Article 301, AKP deputy chairman Dengir Mir Mehmet 
 
ANKARA 00000260  002 OF 003 
 
 
Firat said the changes offered by NGOs to Turkish Penal Code Article 
301 cannot help solve problems, but will lead to increases in 
lawsuits filed through the controversial provision. 
 
Editorial Commentary on Article 301, Iran 
Kursat Bumin argues in the Islamist-opinion maker Yeni Safak:  "The 
argument that 'other countries have laws similar to Turkey's 301' 
has become common rhetoric.  Yet we should wonder to what extent 
this argument reflects the reality?  I find this claim to be 
baseless, and the court ruling against Hrant Dink and the High Court 
of Appeals ruling were equally baseless.  Recently one expert, 
during a television appearance, even listed the countries which 
supposedly have laws on freedom of expression very similar to 
Article 301of the Turkish Penal Code: Italy, Poland, Spain, France, 
Germany, Sweden and Austria.  It is easy to take the experts' word 
for it, but I personally continued my research and examined the laws 
that some claim are similar to our 301.  Surprisingly enough, none 
of the listed countries have anything which we can call similar to 
¶301.  There is only one similarity which comes from the Bulgarian 
penal code, and Bulgaria is not even mentioned in that list. 
Bulgarian Penal Code Article 88 talks about punishing insults 
'against the pride of Bulgarian people.' Again when it comes to the 
other seven countries, they don't have anything to support the claim 
that 'others, not only Turkey, have laws like 301.'  To cut a long 
story short, why don't we see the Turkish translation of those laws 
that supposedly look like our penal code?   This is the only way to 
end the argument and reach a consensus on the issue." 
 
Kamuran Ozbir states in the nationalist Ortadogu:  "Even though 
Washington denied the interpretations of President Bush's speech on 
January 10 as a sign of an upcoming strike against Iran, nowadays a 
lot of officials are talking about the shift of the US focus from 
Iraq to Iran.  The new Secretary of Defense calls Iran the main 
target for the American military presence in the Gulf.  The US press 
also started a new bombardment to persuade public opinion that Iran 
is the new enemy.  The Bush administration is now staging the same 
tactic against Iran that was applied against Saddam Hussein -- when 
everybody was persuaded that there was a link between Saddam and 
al-Qaeda.  For instance, the raid by American forces on an Iranian 
diplomatic representation office was presented as 'Iranians planning 
an attack against the US.'  The Bush administration seems determined 
to ool the American people once again.  Both Israeland the 
neo-cons in the administration are in favor of an attack against 
Iran.  It may seem odd that the Bush administration still plans to 
attack another Muslim country despite the fact that it will only 
deepen the already existing problems with Iraq and the region.  But 
for Washington the psychology is different.  President Bush and his 
administration believe that a triumph over Iran can make the Iraq 
defeat forgotten." 
 
President Sezer Partially Vetoes Oil Law 
All papers report that President Sezer vetoed several provisions of 
the Oil Law explaining that the given provisions necessitate further 
negotiations.  In the justification of the veto, President Sezer 
said that with clauses paving the way for the state's transfer of 
authority and rights to foreign companies, Turkey's national 
security interests are disregarded. 
 
Operations against the PKK in Europe 
Sabah, Milliyet, Hurriyet, Radikal and others:  Following France, 
Belgium started an operation against the PKK yesterday.  Sabah 
reports that a high level PKK official Canan Kurtyilmaz was sent to 
Paris and former DEP deputies Zubeyir Aydar and Remzi Kartal were 
interrogated in Belgium. 
 
Two Important Signatures for the F-35 Project 
Milliyet, Aksam, Star, Zaman and others:   Considered the biggest 
procurement program in the Defense Industry, two agreements were 
signed in Ankara yesterday for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter 
Project.  In an agreement worth $3 billion with American firm 
 
ANKARA 00000260  003 OF 003 
 
 
Northrop Gumman, Turkish Aerospace Industry (TAI) will be producing 
the centre part of the F-35s as the single source after the USA. 
The second agreement was signed between the Turkish Defense Industry 
and the main producer of F-35s, American firm Lockheed Martin. 
Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul and US Ambassador Ross Wilson attended 
the ceremony. 
 
 
TV Highlights 
NTV (6 A.M.) 
 
Domestic News 
 
- 
 
- Prime Minister Erdogan met with visiting Pakistani President 
Pervez Musharraf to discuss the steps to end fighting between Israel 
and Palestine as well as in Iraq, Lebanon, and Palestine. 
 
- Turkish ministers of energy, environment and farming said after 
meeting yesterday they will submit a report on the effects of global 
warming to the council of ministers meeting next week.  The 
ministers mainly discussed the possibility of a drought in Turkey 
this year. 
 
- The third Turkey-US Economic Partnership Commission (EPC) meetings 
will be held in Ankara and Istanbul on February 8-9. 
 
International News 
 
- The Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (IKDP) website says at the 
end of the month multinational forces will transfer security 
responsibility in northern Iraq to the Kurdish peshmerge. 
 
- Nicosia said it will announce international bids for oil 
exploration in eastern Mediterranean on February 15, defying Turkish 
and Turkish Cyprus reactions. 
 
- Greek Cypriots have asked India and China for an explanation on 
how a planeload of energy-saving light bulbs was flown directly from 
China via India into north Cyprus over the weekend. 
 
- Tehran blamed the US for the abduction of an Iranian diplomat by 
gunmen wearing Iraqi army uniforms in central Baghdad.  A US 
military spokesman denied any US or Iraqi involvement in the 
incident. 
 
 
 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ 
 
WILSON